Royal Mile

Background

The Royal Mile lies in Edinburgh's Old Town, Scotland, running from the Castle Esplanade in front of Edinburgh Castle in the west to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in the east. It is a succession of streets, running downhill from west to east: Castle Esplanade, Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street, Canongate and Abbey Strand; along the way are St Giles' Cathedral, Parliament Square, the Old Parliament House, the Mercat Cross, Edinburgh City Chambers, the Scottish Parliament Building and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Edinburgh Castle itself is a separate sight and not part of the street. The term Royal Mile dates from the early 20th century and has since entered general use. After the glaciers retreated, till was deposited behind the volcanic plug of Castle Rock, forming a crag-and-tail landscape; the Royal Mile lies on the tail, descending gently eastwards from the castle to Holyroodhouse, rising from 42 metres at the palace to 109 metres at the castle, with an average gradient of 4.1%. The Castle Esplanade was originally part of Castle Hill, laid out as a parade ground in 1753 and formalised in 1816. Lawnmarket was fixed by a 1477 charter as a market for inland goods, later mainly linen. Canongate literally means the canons' way, once used by the Augustinian canons of Holyrood Abbey; before 1856 it was not only a street name but also a burgh in its own right, outside the Flodden Wall and separate from Edinburgh.

Local customs

• Walk the whole route downhill, slipping into the steep closes on either side to see the tall tenements
• stop in turn at St Giles' Cathedral and Parliament Square, the Mercat Cross and the City Chambers
• beside the west door of St Giles', look for the heart-shaped Heart of Midlothian set in the pavement
• during festivals the Castle Esplanade is the venue of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, with arrangements as officially announced
• at the lower end, continue through Canongate to Holyroodhouse and the abbey ruins.

Travel tips

• The whole route is a paved slope, so wear non-slip flat shoes
• summer and festival periods are extremely crowded, with the Edinburgh International Festival season in summer the liveliest and most crowded of all
• winter is windy and cold, so dress against wind and cold. Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse each need their own visit, with opening and ticketing as officially announced.
• The Royal Mile is in the centre of the Old Town: take the train to Edinburgh Waverley and walk uphill, or take a bus to an Old Town stop
• driving into the narrow Old Town streets is not advised.